Gahanna officially opened its new Civic Center on Aug. 25, with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony that caps more than 20 years of planning to consolidate city services under one roof.

The $68.35 million facility at 825 Tech Center Drive now houses City Hall, the Gahanna Division of Police and the Senior Center together for the first time. The city paid $8.75 million for the existing office building and $59.6 million in construction costs to transform it, according to WOSU Public Media.

The ceremony ran from 5 to 7:30 p.m., according to the city's event calendar. Mifflin Township trustees noted the dedication on their own meeting agenda as a community milestone.

"When you see the building, you'll see a lot of glass on the outside," architect Keith Hall, managing principal and owner of MSA Design, said in an Aug. 19 CityScene Magazine feature. "The reasoning behind all the glass was that we want the government to be transparent. We want people to feel like they can come in here and they can see, and they can ask, and they can interact, and they can participate."

Two stone pillars flanking a central glass curtain wall carry that symbolism into the architecture.

What residents get

The building functions as a one-stop shop. Utility bill payments, Parks & Recreation program registration, shelter rentals and city job applications can all be handled in one location. Departments residents visit most often, including the Division of Police, Customer Service, Mayor's Court and Council Chambers, sit at the front of the building for easy access.

A new rentable multipurpose room gives residents a flexible indoor space for birthday parties, baby showers, business meetings and graduation celebrations. No such space previously existed in the city's inventory.

Police and public safety

The police division grew from about 30 employees in 1992 to more than 90 staff members, but its former headquarters never expanded to match. The new facility includes private rooms for victims reporting sensitive crimes, a 24/7 monitored safe room in the lobby for residents fleeing immediate danger, a prescription drug drop-off bin and virtual reality training systems for officers.

Police Chief Jeff Spence said in the CityScene feature that the old building offered no space to sit down with someone and take a report involving sensitive details. The new headquarters solves that.

The 911 Communications Center also moved into the building, putting dispatch and officers under one roof for the first time.

Senior Center expansion

The Senior Center gained 116% more programmable space, allowing five or six programs to run simultaneously instead of one or two. Kevin Schultz, senior director of operations and project manager for the Civic Center, said in a November 2025 CityScene preview that the expanded layout gives seniors room to stay active, social and connected with a richer schedule of offerings.

Local firms, local build

Three Gahanna-based companies partnered on the project: Advanced Civil Design handled site surveying and civil engineering, Terracon provided environmental consulting and materials testing, and American Sound installed audio-visual technology across 81 spaces. The Council Chambers system includes auto-tracking cameras, individual microphones at 12 seated locations and dual projection screens.

What's next

As we reported Aug. 24, the ribbon cutting marked the culmination of a project that began with a facility study more than two decades ago and a follow-up assessment completed in 2021. The city is now evaluating potential future uses for its former Hamilton Road facilities.